Sexist JCPenney T-Shirt Is an Outrage

In an apparent attempt to set the women’s movement back a hundred years or so, retail giant JCPenney was, until Wednesday morning, selling a little girls’ t-shirt that read, “I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.”

Even worse? The item’s description: “Who has time for homework when there’s a new Justin Bieber album out? She’ll love this tee that’s just as cute and sassy as she is.”

Justin Bieber may indeed rot brains, but there’s nothing “cute” or “sassy” about announcing on a t-shirt that you’re an idiot.

As expected, JCPenney felt the furious wrath of the internet and pulled the item from its site, and representatives reached by the Village Voice seemed horrified that it was ever there at all. The official statement released by the company read:

“JCPenney is committed to being America’s destination for great style and great value for the whole family. We agree that the ‘Too pretty’ t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that they have come to expect.”

Nevertheless, Penney’s Facebook page is still being deluged with outraged comments. As well it should be.